Automatic gas burner control



Aug. 29, 1950 w. T. HAMILTON AUTOMATIC GAS BURNER CDNTROL 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filad Oct. 26, 1946 Aug- 29, 1950 w. T. HAM|L1oN 2,520,542

AUTOMATIC GAS BURNER CONTROL Filed Oct. 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC GAS BURNER CONTROL William T. Hamilton, Rensselaer, N. Y. Application October 26, 1946, Serial No. 705,880

2 Claims.

'I'he present invention relates to novel and useful improvements in an automatic gas burner control and more specifically pertains to an attachment which may be applied to existing gas ranges or stoves and which provides an automatic means for cutting 01T the supply of gas to the burner unit whenever there is no pan or utensil over the burner opening of the stove or range.

It is well known that the use of gas burners on .ranges or stoves is frequently rendered dangerous and uneconomical by the necessity or habit of permitting burners to remain lighted when there is no utensil requiring their heat placed above the burners. It is therefore a prime object of this invention to provide an attachment which may be readily incorporated into existing gas ranges and stoves and which is adapted to shut off the supply of gas to a burner when the burner opening is uncovered due to the absence of a cooking utensil or the like placed thereover; wherein efficient means is provided for opening a safety gas control valve to thereby supply gas to a burner when a pan or the like is placed over the burner opening; wherein a simple, novel and efficient means isprovided for actuatingthe gas control valve of a burner by means of a weight actuated knob disposed through and slightly above a burner opening in a stove; wherein convenient and eicient means is provided for acljusting the sensitivity of the valve actuating mechanism; and wherein an attachment of the character above set forth is provided which is simple and dependable in construction, readily adapted to all conventional types of gas burner i Figure 3 ls a rear elevational view of the device of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of vbut one element of my invention;

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of a portion of the gas conduit ot my invention;

Figure 6 is a plan detail view of an element of the invention; and,

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through the support pin, looking in the direction of the burner, and showing the mounting ofthe support pm.

Reference is now made more particularly to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals indicate similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein lil designates a burner plate for the burner opening I2 of a portion of a gas range or stove of any conventional type. The member l0 is provided with a centrally disposed aperture lll in the conventional manner. As is well known, the conventional gas range or stove is provided with a gas feeder or header.

" not shown, to which are detachably connected the individual gas burner units which have their burner heads disposed beneath the opening i4.

As shown in Figure 2, a portion of a header is indicated at i6, to which is connected as by a nipple IB, a valve casing 2li. As shown, a gas inlet passage extends from the header i6 nipple I8 into the valve casing 2(1,this gas passage being under the conventional control of a conical type of rotary plug valve 22, extending transversely of said passage, and provided with the customary finger-grip knob 2li thereon. The tapered valve plug 22 has an axially extending stem 26 which is provided with a longitudinally extending kev- Way 28 and has non-rotatably but slidably` mounted thereon an adiustment limiting collar 30 provided with a depending key 32 slidably engaged in the keyway 28. Thiscollar 30, as best shown in Figure 6, is provided with a pair of radially extending angularly spaced arms 34 and 36 constituting stops for selective abutting position limiting engagement with a stop pin 38 suitably mounted at a convenient point upon the `header casing I6 as shown in Figure 2. As will be understood, rotation of the valve plug 22 by means of the knob 24 to either its closed or open position is limited by engagement of the appropriate arms 3l or 36 with the stop pin 38. A spring 40 is provided for surrounding the stem 26 and has its left end abutting the collar 30 While its right end is seated against an adjusting and securing means to be set forth hereinafter for the purpose of biasing the rotary plug valve 22 towards the right, to thereby take-up any wear or play betwee'n the valve and its seat and thereby establish a good seating engagement between the valve and its seat, and also to urge the collar 30 towards the left as viewed in Figure 2, and thereby insure operational engagement between the arms 3l, 36 and the pin 38. As indicated generally at 42. any suitable type of locking means is provided for adjustably compressing the spring 40 in the manner before mentioned.

The valve casing 20, as shown in Figure 2, terminates in a gasdischarge orifice 44, which is controlled by a needle valve 46 normally urged into closed position as by a spring 48 secured in any suitable manner. The valve 46 has an axially extending stem 50 which protrudes from the orifice 44 for a purpose to be later set forth. A gas conduit-member 52 is provided with a laterally extending lug 54 for mounting the unit in the conventional manner upon the frame of a gas stove or gas range, and has detachably mounted upon the end thereof, a gas burner head unit 56. As shown in the drawings, the burner head 56 is mounted immediately below the burner opening I4 and is provided with a plurality of gas discharge openings 58 in the upper surface thereof for the purpose of supplying a burner fiame to the opening I4. The pilot name conduit 60 supplies as by means of openings 62 a small amount of combustible gas to the burner head 56 lor the purpose of maintaining a pilot flame by which the main burner flame orices 58 may be ignited as desired. At its opposite extremity, the

gas conduit 52 is provided with an air inlet opening 64 controlled by a slidable mixing valve 66 under'the control of an adjusting screw 68. As shown best in Figure 1, the mixing valve 66 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 10, whereby the latter may be slidably adjusted upon the screw 68 for adjusting the air mixing valve or for moving the valve as desired. The open inlet extremity of the gas conduit 52 is closed by a plate 12 shown best in Figure 4. This plate is provided with an aperture 'I4 axially positioned relative to the inlet extremity of the gas conduit 52, whereby the fluid conduit may be removably inserted upon a reduced shoulder portion 'I6 upon the extremity of the valve casing 20, for supporting the-burner unit thereon and for positioning the valve inlet orifice 44 axially within the conduit 52. At any convenient point, the plate 12 is provided with an orice or aperture 'I8 by which the same may be rigidly attached to the end of the conduit 52, and is also provided with a pair of apertures 80 in which are screw threadedly mounted a pair of adjusting spring seats 82 to Abe referred to hereinafter. Upon its lower surface, and substantially diametrically opposite the air inlet opening 64, the conduit 52 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 84. A iiat plate-like element 86 constituting a slide is arranged for sliding longitudinal movementin the guide slot 84 and is provided with an upwardly extending arm 88. A transversely extending support rod 96 is suitably supported by the walls of the fluid conduit 52 and constitutes a guide and support for the lower surface of the slide 86 for positioning the latter within the confines of the guiding slot 84, and for maintaining the arm 88 in position to engage the actuating stem 50 of the valve 46. Depending from the slide 86 is a transversely disposed plate 82 having a pair of projecting stems 94 constituting seats for coil springs 96 which are compressed between the seats 82 before mentioned and the depending plate 82, and are preferably centered by axially extending pins 98 carried by the seats 82. Integrally formed upon the slide 86 and extending forwardly thereof, is a rod pivoted as at |02 to one arm |04 of a bell crank which is fulcrumed at |06 in any suitable manner upon the fluid conduit 52, the other end |08 of the bell crank being adapted to engage the lower end of a stem ||0 whose upper portion is provided with V of the burner opening I4.

lil

Aa, button or knob I|2 disposed centrally of the burner opening |4. The stem ||0 is suitably guided axially of the burner head 56 by means of guides |I4 in the head 56 and |I6 formed in the base of the fluid conduit 52 below the head 56. The arrangement is such that the springs 86 urge the slide 86 to the right as viewed in Figure 2, causing counter-clockwise rotation of the bell crank about its pivot |06, and elevating the stem |I0 and knob |I2 until the latter is disposed slightly above the upper plane Asurface In this position of the device, the arm 88 is retracted whereupon the spring 48 is free to close the valve 46, thereby shutting oi the main supply of gas to the gas conduit 52 and the burner outlets 58. The device maintains this position when there is no pan or utensil over the opening I4, and there is therefore no need for the burner to be ignited. When. however, a pot, pan or the like is placed upon the burner opening I4, the weight thereof depresses the button I|2, `actuates the bell crank and thereby urges the slide 86 towards the left as viewed in Figure 2, whereby the arm 88 engages the axial stem 50 and opens the valve 46. The gas is thereupon permitted to enter the conduit 52, being mixed with air through the air openings 64, and the mixture passing upwardly through the outlets 58 is ignited by the gas pilot which is of known construction.

I desire to call attention to the location of the slide 86 by which the gas control valve is actuated. This element is so positioned that it is in proximity to the air inlet openings 64, whereby any leakage of air occurring through the guide slot 84, merely supplements the air admitted through the openings 64 and thereby avoids a disadvantageous entry or leakage of air into the conduit 52.

Since the many and manifold advantages in my construction are readily apparent to those skilled in the art, further explanation thereof is believed to be unnecessary.

I claim:

l. In a gas stove having a gas burner opening and a gas burner therebeneath, a gas conduit supplying gas to said burner, a valve controlling ilow through said conduit, an article actuated depressible control knob and actuating means connecting said knob with said valve; said valve having a stem extending longitudinally of and housed Wholly within said conduit, a slot in said conduit, a slide reciprocable in said slot, an arm on said slide movable towards and from the end of said stein for abutting engagement and actuation thereof, a linkage connecting said knob to said slide, said slide having a plate oppositely disposed relative to said arm, a spring engaging said plate and biasing said slide into inoperative position in said slot, said slide having oppositely disposed portions perpendicular to said arm and plate, one of said portions being operatively connected to said knob and the other portion comprising guide means supporting and retaining said slide in said slot.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said guide means supporting and retaining said slide in said slot comprises a lower guide surface on said slide, a. pin carried by said conduit on the exterior surface thereof and adjacent said slot, said pin engaging said lower guide surface for maintaining 5 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the 11141564 fue of this patent: ggg

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 792,096 Wentworth June 13, 1905 Number 904,813 Scollard Nov. 24, 1908 141,511 1,000,485 Avery Aug. 15, 1911 441,841 1,001,997 Scott AAug. 29, 1911 10 Name Date Lemley et a1 June 1, 1915 Kyriakos Mar. 4, 1919 Whalen Feb.4 26, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 22, 1920 Great Britain Jan. 27, 1936 

